Myeka Trinidad
I was looking for a master's program that would allow me to keep my job, gain new skills and enjoy an international experience. So when I discovered the Executive Master in International Development in early 2023, it piqued my interest. So far, I do not regret my decision to apply. I consider all my learnings thus far as important life skills for me. Also, the connections and the network of professors I have met through this program are a treasure. Their inputs—especially their insights on sustainability in general—are inspiring.
"I have been looking for a master's program that would allow me to gain experience and still maintain my full-time job."
Growing an international network
Myeka Trinidad is immersed in all things international. As a professional working in project management within the United Nations ecosystem, she is very familiar with the global context. Myeka had been considering her options for further learning when she received a timely email from the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC). In it, she got her first glimpse of the Executive Master in International Development.
For years, Myeka has dedicated her career to environmental protection and sustainable development. The first thing she learned about this field, she says, is that you need both experience and continuous education to climb the ranks. But although she was ready to step back into academic life, Myeka wanted a program that would work around her full-time job at the UN—she hoped to maintain her professional progress while pursuing her master’s degree in an international environment. “I call the Executive Master in International Development an ‘answered prayer’ because it checked all my boxes,” she admits.
The more she learned about the program, the clearer it became that this was the right path for her. Offered part-time in a blended format combining online learning with in-person periods in Madrid and New York, the Executive Master in International Development is the full package. Myeka soon joined the program, diving into her classes head-on and enjoying connecting with both her peers and the professors guiding their journey. More importantly, she’s been building the foundations for her future, gaining the toolkit she needs for a long-term career in the development sector.
“I have already applied my learnings in my professional work,” she says. For Myeka, the most invaluable aspect of the Executive Master in International Development is its practical focus. A combination of its curriculum—developed alongside the UNSSC and rooted in the UN 2.0 Quintet of Change—and collaborative, consulting-based applied research project gives program participants the tools to immediately start addressing complex challenges through system-wide solutions.
“I call the Executive Master in International Development program an ‘answered prayer’ because it checked all my boxes.”
For instance, Myeka’s current role involves dealing with lots of numbers. Through in-depth classes in data analytics, she’s finding new, more effective ways of displaying data and its relationships. Further, learning to use various online tools has made her more productive while making it easier to manage and package data for different audiences. The Executive Master in International Development has also sparked an interest in psychological safety at work, as Myeka explains: “This is a relevant topic that I have only fully understood through this program and I push for it to be applied in my workplace.”
Apart from the technical side, Myeka has also enjoyed enhancing her soft skills through the program. Workshops, seminars and visits to top international organizations have helped improve her proficiency in leadership, management, networking and communication. As a result, she’s started to build better relationships with her team members and has become more vocal in sharing her ideas.
Myeka describes her time in the program so far as “inspiring.” The most notable highlight has to be the friendships she’s made with peers from around the world. “I consider my classmates as professional colleagues who all excel in their fields,” she says. Most either work in the UN or the private sector, representing a diversity of perspectives and insights into sustainability that really enriched the program.
With such a strong foundation, the future looks bright for Myeka. Her goal is to "walk the talk," using the lessons learned in the Executive Master in International Development not just to boost her career, but to do meaningful, impactful work. For potential students of this transformative program, her advice is simple: “If you want to help make an impact on the world, but don’t know how or where to start, then you might want to consider this program.”